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After a four month hiatus I’M BACK—with new inspiration! Healthy baking!

One of my best friends Elizabeth Rossi, who is a Certified Natural Wellness Advisor in Santa Monica, asked me if I wanted to collaborate with her on some healthy baking recipes and I said YES.

I grew up in a traditional American kitchen. My mom did not avoid butter, eggs, flour, or sugar—and everything she made was divine. I love to bake this way too, but lately I have been intrigued by the gluten-free offerings I’ve seen in coffee shops and in specialty markets. Why not try it.

We challenged ourselves to come up with a gluten-free, vegan bread packed with protein, that tasted good! After much research and figuring out the chemistry involved in baking with gluten versus gluten-free, we came up with our very own recipe!

Would you believe our first attempt was a success. Truly. The bread was delicious and it held its shape, too. I made avocado toast with it for dinner (topped with Dill Pollen--thank you Elizabeth for that surprise gift!) and French toast for breakfast. It's a versatile bread to be sure!

(We’ve been reading about xanthum gum and are considering swapping it out with psyllium next time. Stay tuned for Healthy Baking Part 2.)

Mix the molasses and agave nectar into the warm water (110° to 115°) then add the yeast. Let it proof for about 10 minutes. It should look a little foamy.

In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together (with the exception of the oats) and give it all a good stir. A whisk works well for this.

Carefully add the dry ingredients and the olive oil into the yeast mixture and stir under well mixed. You don’t need to knead it like you would a gluten dough. Just mixing it up for a minute or so is fine. Be sure to scrap the bottom of the bowl so as not to leave any dry flour bits.

It should look like this.

Place a kitchen towel over the top of the bowl and place in a warm, draft-free environment to rise for one hour. The oven is usually a good spot. Don't forget to close the door.

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Sprinkle half the oats into the bottom of the pan. Add the dough. Then sprinkle the remaining oats over the top.

Bake at 350° for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the pan sit for about 10 minutes on a wire rack before turning the loaf out of the pan to let it cool completely.

At this point, we didn’t let it cool completely because we were too excited to try it. We cut thin slices and spread the hot bread with a thin layer of butter to sample it. Sooooo good!!! Of course, if you’re vegan you could try drizzling olive oil over it for your taste test.